Disoriented Baby Turtles Helped to Reach the Sea
A group of more than 100 loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings were helped to the southern Caribbean Sea by a corridor of human guides on the morning of July 1.
The tiny turtles had hatched near the airport on the Dutch Caribbean island of Bonaire.
Runway lights and other man-made light sources there interfere with the turtles’ innate urge to find the ocean by following the brightest light, which has been since prehistoric times the bright moon shining on the water.
So to keep the hatchlings from being drawn to the unnatural illuminations, volunteers from Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire formed a human wall to create a distinct path for the baby turtles to scramble through.
The group reported that 112 loggerheads made it safely to the sea.
Loggerheads have been on the threatened species list since 1978, mainly due to pollution and development at their nesting sites.
Volunteers creating a corridor for Bonaire's loggerhead turtle hatchlings to reach the sea:
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